


All of His Secrets

by vassalady



Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-11
Updated: 2012-02-11
Packaged: 2017-10-30 23:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/337280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vassalady/pseuds/vassalady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal Caffrey is made of secrets. But Peter Burke has them, too, and Neal will use his secrets to get back Kate. (AU mid-season 1)</p>
            </blockquote>





	All of His Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this way back when, when we were left hanging wondering if Peter was behind Kate's disappearance or not. It's a deviation from my normal style, so it's an experiment, and I'm posting it because I rather like it despite it being a bit old and now completely not canon compliant. I like it mostly for the characters' voices (well, their voices as of mid-season 1.)

Everyone has secrets. Whether it’s the wife who doesn’t tell her husband that she’s been going to stress relief yoga classes when she says she’s meeting a client, or a kid who doesn’t tell his dad he hates the baseball games they go to because he only sees him once a month, or a top FBI agent taking bribes to let a couple criminals roam the streets, everyone has something or other they do not want anyone else to know about.  
  
This secret scares Neal.  
  
When Peter comes in that morning, Neal acts casually. He greets Peter as he usually does, with a charming grin that never seems to affect Peter and some witty remark about the coming day. Peter responds as expected. He counters Neal with some sort of get down to business comment which Neal doesn’t really listen to. He has other things on his mind.  
  
“Peter,” he says, still seated at his table, coffee cup half full, “I’m going to be honest with you.”  
  
“How nice of you,” Peter says, voice sarcastic. “What is it now, Neal?”  
  
“I told you I was looking for Kate last week. And I want to tell you everything I know.” And so he does. He tells Peter about the message in prison, about the bottle, about the call at Grand Central Station. He even tells him about Kate calling after the jewelry heist case. And when he’s done, Neal looks Peter in the eye and says, “If you tell me to stop looking for Kate, I will.”  
  
Peter matches his gaze, solemn, but his hand runs back and forth across his chin.  
  
“I swear to you, Peter. If you tell me to stop, I will.”  
  
Peter sighs and picks up his own half empty cup of coffee and drains it. “Whatever I tell you, Caffrey, you won’t listen. You’ll keep on going just as you always will.” Peter stands up and puts on his jacket again. Neal watches the cloth settle against his frame. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”  
  
Neal grabs his hat and follows Peter out the door.  
  
This is the secret that hurts Neal.  
  
  
  
This is the secret Neal feels guilty for.  
  
He likes Elizabeth. She’s intelligent, witty, charming, all things Neal also prides himself for, but she’s also kind, caring, loyal, and has the best pasta primavera recipe Neal has ever tasted, all things Neal lacks. He understands why Peter married her. If he were Peter, he would, too.  
  
Bu it just makes it harder.  
  
“Shouldn’t you have gone, too?” Elizabeth asks, glancing out the window, but Peter is long out of sight.  
  
“He’ll be fine,” Neal says and takes a seat on the couch. Elizabeth joins him. “Besides, I don’t do the whole running after vandals.”  
  
“I hope he didn’t scratch Peter’s car too much. Peter really loves that car.”  
  
“It’ll be fine.” Neal reaches over and picks up an item on the coffee table, a snow globe of New York. He examines it closely. And then he offers it to Elizabeth, merely saying, “Cute. Last year’s Christmas present?”  
  
“Yes, well, you know Peter,” Elizabeth responds, taking the snow globe. And then she stares at Neal’s hand. She looks up at him, a smirk on her lips. “Does he know you’re borrowing his jewelry now?”  
  
Neal lifts his hand and looks at the ring. “I’m just borrowing it for a little while. He won’t miss it, I assure you.” Neal smiles and leans in to Elizabeth. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”  
  
She raises an eyebrow, but smiles just as deviously back. “So long as it doesn’t go missing.” She holds Neal’s hand, looking at the ring on his finger. “It used to be his father’s, you know. And his grandfather had it before that. So it’s an irreplaceable heirloom, if mostly for sentimental value.” She pats his hand twice before letting it go. “Something I’m sure you can both appreciate and understand.”  
  
“Of course,” Neal replies, and he slips the ring off his finger into his pocket.  
  
Peter returns shortly after, out of breath and out of temper. “Guy got away from me,” he says, and El stands up and consoles Peter, stroking his shoulders and giving him a kiss.  
  
Neal watches from the couch. He is unable to come up with a teasing remark on Peter’s fitness or age. He just watches the scene solemnly.  
  
This is the secret Neal can never reveal.  
  
  
  
This is the secret Neal doesn’t want to contemplate.  
  
“You know, your agent friend is really fast,” Mozzie says over the phone to Neal. “I wasn’t sure I could get away from him for awhile there.”  
  
“You did wonderfully, thanks, Mozzie,” Neal assures him. “And thanks for the ring. It worked perfectly.” The fake ring rests on the table in front of Neal. He picks it up and rolls it between his fingers.  
  
“Some very good work if I do say so myself,” Mozzie says, “given the time and the quality of the photo.”  
  
Neal drops the ring onto the table. It rolls off. He doesn’t pick it up.  
  
This isn’t over. There’s a lot to do before tomorrow afternoon.  
  
“Mozzie, I need you to pick up Elizabeth tomorrow at noon, Grand Central Station. She’ll be coming back from yoga, and she’s expecting to meet me. Just tell her you are there to escort her because I’m a little held up. Take her to Little Nicky’s place.”  
  
“Little Nicky’s? You sure about that, Neal? I mean, the guy wasn’t exactly thrilled with that little stunt you pulled with his Monet.”  
  
“He owes me, Mozzie, and he’ll be expecting you. It’ll be fine, trust me.”  
  
“Whatever you say,” Mozzie says. “By the way, you want me to pick up a gun for you?”  
  
“No,” Neal says, and his voice nearly cracks. He breathes. “You know I don’t do guns. And I’m not about to start now.”  
  
“Yeah, but things could get pretty ugly, and I can get-”  
  
“No, Mozzie. No guns.”  
  
“Okay, Neal. If that’s really what you want. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”  
  
“It’s too late for that.”  
  
This is the secret that will destroy Neal.  
  
  
  
He has lived his life by secrets, and now he is going to die with secrets. But not this one.  
  
"I have Elizabeth," he tells Peter.  
  
Peter stares at him, his mouth open. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"She's safe. For now."  
  
They are standing in an empty car lot, following a fake lead, a fake snitch that will never show.  
  
"What are you talking about, Neal?" Peter says, and he lets his hand rest on the gun underneath his coat.  
  
Neal does not back down. He can't afford to.  
  
"Let Kate go, and your wife will be returned unharmed."  
  
Peter pulls his gun on Neal. "I'm not playing games," he says, and his voice is rising, worried.  
  
Neal shakes his head slowly. "Neither am I."  
  
Peter keeps the gun trained on Neal as he calls Elizabeth. First the house, Neal knows - no answer. Then her cell.  
  
And Neal speaks along with his prerecorded message left for Peter, the one Mozzie has on a tape player across town. "Hi, you've reached the cell phone of Elizabeth Burke. I'm sorry, but she's unavailable at the moment, but she'll get back to you as soon as you hand over Kate. Thank you."  
  
Peter's face hardens. "You're not so good at this, Neal. You're a forger, a thief, not a kidnapper."  
  
Neal smiles, pleasant as he can be, and says, "What's kidnapping but stealing people? And moving people, how's that different than moving goods? Forging documents, passports, medical papers... I‘m sure you can imagine."  
  
Peter says, "You wouldn't do this, Neal. You're not capable."  
  
And this is the secret that Neal reveals.  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
He used secrets to create Neal Caffrey, and with those same secrets, he will destroy Neal Caffrey.  
  
"Your move, Peter."


End file.
